


It Takes Three

by Arabesqueangel



Series: IronStrangeFrost [1]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kid Fic, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:48:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29627262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arabesqueangel/pseuds/Arabesqueangel
Summary: When there’s three parents to one little boy, it’s easy to fall into specific roles. Tony is the pushover, Stephen is the disciplinarian and Loki.... well, Loki isn’t sure what his role is. Not when his kid has never even called him dad.
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Series: IronStrangeFrost [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2176845
Comments: 23
Kudos: 67





	It Takes Three

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Laily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laily/gifts).



> I wanted to write some fluff to make Laily smile. Of course, it’s me so some angst had to sneak in.

“Carter!” 

The boy in question cringed and trudged into the living room, shoulders slumped, looking for all the world like a prisoner on death row. Even at six he was a brilliant child beyond his years, he knew when he was in trouble. Three men stood waiting for him in the room, in various stages of disapproval.

Tony was crumbling already, both his partners could see it, neither were surprised. Tony was ever the soft touch for the boy he had carried for nine months. The kid looked like a carbon copy of the man who had carried him, all except for maybe slightly darker brown hair and hazel, rather than brown eyes.

Those differences came from the man to the right of Tony. The one with his arms folded, but his eyes on the other two men, biting his lip in uncertainty. Loki hadn’t been around for the majority of Carter’s life, he had only found out about the boy a year ago. He wanted to be a true father to the boy, but had a hard time disciplining him. Not only was he worried about disrupting the fragile, still building bond with his son, he often felt like he was overstepping himself, when the other two men had been the one to raise the boy all these years.

Which led to Stephen Strange, currently standing to Tony’s left, massaging his temple, as the disciplinarian. It wasn’t anything new, Stephen had certainly become used to it, co-parenting with a man who couldn’t see anything wrong with ice cream for dinner and had no idea that bedtimes were a staple of childhood. That wasn’t even touching on Loki’s childhood as an alien prince.

“Carter,” Stephen started sharply. “What have we said about magic?”

“To never do anything unless you are supervising” Carter responded diligently.

Stephen cleared his throat dramatically. His son looked up surprised. Stephen tilted his head towards Loki while staring at his son pointedly. 

“You or Loki,” Carter corrected. 

The boy had looked down at the floor again, so he didn’t see the quick wince Loki made. Carter loved Loki, Stephen knew that he did. But so much of Carter’s life had been outside the norm. Having two dads wasn’t too odd in this day and age, but when one of them was the one that had birthed you? When they were both superheroes? At six years old the boy already acted far older than his age group, not to mention he could do magic and turn blue. Finding out his birth father was an alien prince who just got out of jail was perhaps a bit much. Carter didn’t dislike Loki, he just wasn’t sure how to incorporate him into his life. 

Hell, Stephen was an adult who was more than a little attracted to Loki from the beginning, and even he had a hard time with it. They’d gotten there, the three of them, after a hard, bumpy road. Incorporating Loki into their lives, and then into their relationship. Stephen was thankful every day for Loki, first for being the one who, unintentionally, brought Tony to Stephen and then helped to make their lives even better. But it was still a work in progress, and probably would be for a long time yet.

“That’s right,” Stephen said sternly. “So what were you thinking with this?”

Balloons, streamers and more confetti and glitter than Stephen had ever seen in one place absolutely covered the living room. Stephen had no idea how Carter could have possibly conjured this much all by himself. The kid was far too powerful for his own good, another trait he got from his fathers. 

“We were celebrating Seymore’s birthday,” Carter gestured to the stuffed sloth currently sitting in the easy chair with a bright pink party hat. 

“Yes, well, as important of an occasion as that may be, now you will have to pick up every piece of confetti until this place is spotless. Without magic.”

“Papa!” Carter gasped as he looked at the mess around him. Carter looked over at Tony, his eyes wide and brimming with tears. “Daddy?”

“Stephen,” Tony started. Stephen shot him a sharp look and Tony stopped, and turned to his son. “Your papa is right. It’s only fair, honey. You made the mess, so you pick it up. No dinner until it’s done.”

The boy’s lip trembled, but Tony stayed firm. Stephen nodded, put his arms around Tony and Loki and led them from the room. The boy stood there in the middle of what had been a really great party, not quite sure where to start.

There was a flash of green next to him and Loki appeared again.

“Wait, you just…” Carter looked towards where the three men had exited.

“Yes, well, your fathers thought so too, and will continue to believe so while I help you clean this up.” Loki responded with a soft smile.

“Why?” Carter sniffled.

“Because I suspect that you didn’t do this on purpose? You were just so excited that it came out?” 

The boy nodded as a few large drops fell from his eyes. “I didn’t mean to! I know I shouldn’t and I’m normally really good, but birthdays are just so exciting.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Loki waved off the boy’s confused look. That was not worth getting into with a child. “But I know what it’s like to have your magic get away from you. Why didn’t you say anything?”

Carter shrugged. “Papa always worries, when my magic goes wonky. I didn’t want to worry him.”

“That’s very thoughtful.” Loki said, his heart clenching. “I’ll help you clean up and I’ll talk to your papa.”

“Really? Papa won’t be mad?” Carter asked worriedly.

Loki looked around at the mess and startled when he saw Stephen and Tony poking their heads around the corner watching them. Tony was smiling soppily at them and Stephen was grinning in a superior way that made it clear that he knew what was going on the whole time, the bastard. This was obviously a set-up from the beginning.

“No, your papa loves you very much. He may worry about you, and he may want you to be aware of the consequences of your actions, but he isn’t truly mad at you.”

The boy nodded and got to work picking up the confetti, one piece at a time. It was fortunate that Loki knew that Stephen hadn’t actually meant for the boy to clean it up himself. He would be going without dinner until he was seven at this rate. Loki sped it up with a bit of magic, and it was no more than a half hour later that the living room was spotless again.

When Loki collapsed onto the sofa, Carter launched at him with that enviable wellspring of energy kids seemed to have, latching onto him in a tight hug. It wasn’t the first time Carter had hugged Loki, he was an affectionate boy, but every time he did it melted something in the man, figuratively speaking. It was always so clear in that moment, that he would do absolutely anything for this boy. 

“Thanks dad,” Carter mumbled into Loki’s shirt. That was it, Loki was surprised that Carter could still hold onto the puddle of goo that had once been a Jotunn. 

Loki knew that he was going to have to thank Stephen in a fairly extraordinary way for this. He couldn’t wait.

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually a universe I’m currently in the process of writing, so if you want to find out how Carter came to be and how IronStrangeFrost all came together, stay tuned!


End file.
